For these three trampers, private walks are an excellent opportunity to immerse themselves in nature.  

Keeping it in-house

Clinical psychologist Julia Rucklidge has been an avid tramper for 25 years. “I study and teach the science of practical wellbeing, which includes getting out in nature, so I practise what I preach,” she says.

Rucklidge has completed Great Walks, explored the backcountry and ticked off nearly every private walk in the South Island.

Once or twice a year, she and a group of colleagues hike a private walk.   

“Part of the appeal is that you’re sharing space with people you know,” she says. “I’m the organiser – ‘the wrangler’ – and I make sure there’s enough of us to take over the entire space.” 

In her fifties, Rucklidge now stays away from busy public huts because of the potential for disrupted sleep. And when it comes to carrying a heavy pack, she’s “been there, done that”.

She likes that private walks transport her bag each day.

Another advantage is the catering. “Some cater or part cater, which is really nice. RockRidge has gone above and beyond,” she says of her group’s latest walk. “It was the first one we’ve done that was fully catered, and it was luxurious.”

Lightening the load

North Shore Tramping Club stalwart Roger Parsons has hiked extensively in New Zealand, including the South Island section of Te Araroa. Now 82, he and his informal group – all members of North Shore Tramping Club and over 70 – have completed numerous private walks.  

“We’ve tramped and cycled for years and done all the major walks, but we’re now of an age where that becomes difficult – if not impossible,” he says. “Private walks enable us to walk without having to carry a full pack.”

Parsons also welcomes the administrative ease. “You just have to align your dates. In comparison, I recently organised the Queen Charlotte Track, which took a lot of effort as I had to book six separate nights of accommodation plus the ferry.” 

Parsons says his group meets every Thursday to walk locally, and this has become a great way to brainstorm future trips.  

He and trip co-organiser Helen Orchard began looking into private walks during Covid when overseas travel was off-limits. Since then the group has walked Banks Peninsula Track, Haurata High Country Retreats Walk, Island Hills Station Walk and Tora Track, plus a three-walk combo back-to-back: Kaikōura Wilderness Experience, Kaikōura Coast Track and Mt Guardian Walkway.

Parsons enjoys delving into farm life and “the pleasure of being in the countryside and observing the way in which farms operate and how they are diversifying,” he says. “Private walks have the added benefit of meeting farmers and learning what they’re doing. It does city slickers no harm to learn how difficult farming is.”

Relaxing and reconnecting  

Wellington-based policy analyst Bhagee Ramanathan hiked Mt Guardian Walkway with her daughter Vidthia Beaglehole. She was 58 at the time, Vidthia 20. 

“It’s a spectacular walk, you’re in farming country on these plateaus surrounded by high mountains with sea views,” says Ramanathan. “You couldn’t ask for much more.”

After previously hiking several Great Walks, she enjoyed the seclusion the private walk offered. They didn’t see any other people during their stay.

“You get a sense of oneness with the place that’s captivating. And when you’re not carrying a big pack, you experience everything much more intimately and intrinsically. The part of your mind that is usually dealing with your pack isn’t doing that anymore.” 

She says the 16km day was challenging enough – she has arthritis and her daughter “isn’t a huge hiker” – but because they weren’t carrying packs they didn’t need to train. “It was stimulating, but also manageable.”

The boutique-style accommodation allowed them to focus on the journey rather than the destination. 

“You can spend a couple of hours lying under a tree reading a book,” says Ramanathan. “You can do more along the way without the pressure of having to get there and secure your place [in a hut]. It’s a more relaxed way of doing things.”